


Hold Me

by Milionking



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Hugs, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Overbearing Parents, Pre-Trade, post trade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25444420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milionking/pseuds/Milionking
Summary: At the end of the 17-18 season, Alex knows his time in Montreal is limited.  Will his relationship survive distance?
Relationships: Alex Galchenyuk/Brendan Gallagher
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Hold Me

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the "I could really use a hug" prompt in the RPF server

Alex lets out a sigh reading the last round of “coaching” his dad texted.

“Get your head in the game, those turnovers in the first shouldn’t have happened.”

“Why did you pass that shot? The goalie was expecting it, SHOOT THE DAMN THING!”

“What are you trying to do? You want to be traded?”

“Rumour has it that Bergy is shopping you.”

“Guess the season’s over. When are we expecting you home, better be soon we need to train.”

Brendan comes up to Alex’s, he places a gentle hand on Alex’s right shoulder and uses his free hand to take the phone out of Alex’s hand.

“Leave it for now, let’s grab some take out burgers and we’ll talk about it at home,” Brendan whispers into Alex’s ear. “You can have your phone back after dinner.”

Alex turns around to protest the confiscation, “Brendan I…” Too late, Brendan already hid the phone in his bag and left for the showers. There is no way Alex is going to rifle through Brendan’s bag, it would give them away even though the team probably knows about them.

Brendan and Alex have been involved with each other for the last 3 years. Brendan is Alex’s escape from his overbearing family. Alex has never told his homophobic family about Brendan and has no intention of ever coming out to them. 

Alex strips the rest of his gear and heads to the shower himself passing Brendan on the way in. “You know my order,” Alex mumbles so no one else can hear, Brendan nods his acknowledgement.

Brendan hops on his phone and places the order for their dinner.

Alex comes out of the shower with just his towel on. Brendan turns still on the phone and flashes Alex his trademark smile. Alex can’t help but smile back, those smiles are infectious. Even if Alex’s smile is fake, Brendan knows how to force Alex’s to emote a little. Day by day, and year by year Alex’s stoic Russian (American) exterior erodes a little more.

“See you at home, I’m going to go pick up dinner,” Brendan mentions leaving the locker room. Even in his peacoat, Brendan’s bubble butt protrudes out the back. Alex and Brendan always leave games separately to keep up appearances.

Alex gets to Brendan’s first, he has a key so he lets himself in. They’ve had separate condos as well just to keep up appearances to Alex’s family. It wouldn’t do to have Alex living with Brendan, especially if his family decided to visit.

Alex forgot his phone is still in Brendan’s possession. He turns on the highlights of tonight’s shit show against Buffalo. They won this game, barely, and it certainly didn’t stop Alex Sr. from providing his 2 cents about this game. He watches every time he has the puck in the highlight reel trying to realize what he did wrong. He loses himself in the game so much, he didn’t hear Brendan enter downstairs.

“Alex!” Brendan bellows at the bottom of the stairs, “dinner is here!” That snaps Alex back into reality.

He doesn’t really want to talk about this.

“So, what did your dad say about tonight’s game?” Brendan interrogates. Brendan is watching every move Alex makes. Most of the time, Alex’s body language gives away his mood.

Alex is tense, he flinches at Brendan’s question. “That bad, eh?” Brendan presses.

“Just the usual shit about turnovers, shots, and goals that should have been,” Alex murmurs.

Brendan looks up from his dinner with his classic puppy dog eyes, “You know you’re an adult now.”

“Not that easy when your dad starts a business to market Alex and Anna Galchenyuk as a brand,” Alex admits. His dad has always run his career since the Sting. Without Alex and Anna his dad is a shell now that he’s been involuntarily told to retire.

“Chucky,” Brendan prods. He knows Alex is hiding more than he’s admitting verbally.

Alex takes a large bite off his burger to avoid the question.

“What are you telling me Chucky?”

Alex wants to say the words, he knows July 1st will be here before he knows it. Marc has minced no words that he’s unhappy with Alex’s play. He only grudgingly signed him because of his UFA status and with pressure from his dad. His dad had the most to lose if his son suddenly found himself jobless, Alex had buffered himself with endorsement deals and the interest on the money he saved when he lived with his mother and sister the first couple of years in Montreal.

Alex swallows his bite hard making his Adam’s apple bob. Brendan saw the spasm.

Alex lifts only his eyes, “How solid is our relationship?”

“Alex, I love you so much that nothing can stand between us. Not even all your fake girlfriends or your overbearing dad can stand in the way of loving you,” Brendan says then offers his hand. “So Alex, what aren’t you telling me?”

“Marc is probably going to be shopping me this summer,” Alex exhales. The admission sucks all the air from the room while he waits for Brendan’s reply.

“I don’t care if Marc throws all kinds of distance between us. I’ll still love you,” Brendan flashes a smile to perk up Alex’s mood.

Alex finishes off burger long after Brendan who nursed a beer while Alex ate. “When are you heading back to Miami?”

“Dad wants me down there tomorrow to start training, I booked the latest flight I could out of Montreal tomorrow,” Alex laments.

Brendan shoves and elbow into Alex’s arm, “Doesn’t answer my question Chucky.”

“About 3 tomorrow is when my flight leaves,” Alex responds.

“So we have until lunch tomorrow, you wanna watch a movie?” Brendan grins.

“How are you so happy?” Alex grumbles.

“I was born happy, so how about that movie? Come on, I’ll let you pick,” Brendan presses.

Alex looks up at Brendan, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to just go to bed.”

Brendan gives Alex a kiss, “Come on, let’s go have some overtime.”

Alex smiles, overtime means he gets laid.

**

Brendan pads around his Tsawwassen summer home making eggs in a non-stick pan with a metal spatula. Domestic skills and all, he’s so proud of himself, when his phone rings. Alex’s picture comes up.

“Hey Alex, surprised you aren’t training today,” Brendan answers.

Alex exhales audibly into the microphone, “How fast can you get to Italy?”

“Alex?” Brendan voice trembles.

Alex’s accent thickens telling Brendan that he’s stressed, “Guess you haven’t seen the news, I found out on Twitter after my plane landed.”

“I’m on the next flight,” Brendan expresses and ends the call. The eggs have burned so Brendan scrapes out as much egg as he can and leaves the pan in the sink for his housekeeper. He’ll eat at the airport. 

He grabs his “In case of Alex emergency bag” from under his bed. Over their 3 years together, Alex would “schedule” an impromptu vacation and invite Brendan. Alex hadn’t scheduled this one which meant Alex had advance notice of a potential trade. Alex wanted to be in the air when the deal went down just to make Bergevin look really bad.

Brendan’s in Rome 18 hours after he left home. Alex had texted him the Airbnb address of the villa Alex rented. Brendan knocks on the door after practically speeding on the highways to get to the country town Alex stayed in.

“Brendan,” Alex croaks.

Brendan flashes his smile, which makes Alex follow suit. Alex clears his throat, “Come in please.”

Brendan crosses the threshold and enters the sitting room.

“So Chucky, what’s the emergency?” Brendan asks already knowing the answer.

“Fucking Arizona of all places,” Alex spits.

“This isn’t the end of us,” Brendan consoles.

“I know,” Alex mumbles shuffling his feet.

Brendan pulls Alex into a hug while Alex lets out the tears he’s held back. “So Alex, how can I help?”

“Just keep doing this,” Alex sobs into Brendan’s shoulder. “This is all I need.”

The pair spend the rest of the day in bed.

**

Brendan wakes up the next morning with a sore ass and an empty bed. He’d lost count to the number of times they made love last night. The smell of coffee and something that smells like bacon wafts from the bottom floor to their bedroom prompting Brendan to leave the bed. He joins Alex in the kitchen only wearing boxer briefs.

“Eat up,” Alex commands serving up a slice of the frittata he’s been up for an hour baking. “You’re going to need it today.”

“My ass already hurts,” Brendan whines.

“We’re going tighten you back up today,” Alex chuckles. “And hopefully I’m going to pay back that hug.”

**

After breakfast and a shower together, Alex and Brendan are sitting in Brendan’s rental. Alex is purposely letting Brendan drive. “Where to Chuck?”

Alex shrugs his shoulders, “To another country.” He sets his GPS for San Marino.

The pair follow a winding set of roads through the Italian countryside with Alex’s Russian rap music playing. Brendan learned to swear in Russian with this music. 

Almost 4 hours after they left Alex’s rented villa, they pull into a parking lot off Via Piana. Alex pays for parking and places the permit in the windshield.

Alex grabs Brendan’s hand, “Follow me.” He leads them up the winding hill and pulls out his keys. “So I may have done something a little rash, I know I didn’t consult you or anything…”

“Alex, what did you do?”

Alex bites his lower lip as they arrive opening the locked door with his key, “After you.” Alex ushers Brendan into the brick structure. Alex digs into one of the other pockets of his cargo shorts and pulls out a box.

“Alex, this is…” Brendan is cut off when he turns around. The place looks like hell.

“You know how San Marino was offering people the option of buying a house for a Euro? Well, this is ours. Well it will be once it’s all renovated. I signed the papers to buy it yesterday.”

Brendan giggles, “And that has you on your knee?”

Alex smiles and Brendan can tell it’s genuine. Brendan swallows hard.

Alex opens the box, “Brendan Adam Matthew Gallagher, I know we have a few rough years apart ahead. I got us a retirement home where we can raise a family. Would you do me the honor of being my husband?”

Brendan sheds a tear, “Absolutely. I just need one thing.”

Alex stands up to put the ring on, “What’s that Gally?”

“I could really use a hug,” Brendan requests with a trademark smile.

Alex slides the ring on and tugs Brendan in for the hug, squeezing until he begs for air.


End file.
